2 
A fifltfCAtfftW. 
be assured that the country ha's again entered upon 
a bright and prosperous career. 
A FARMER’S EDUCATION*. 
W e can not think that the present system of 
educating the rural population of the country is 
what it to ought be. There are many things 
which might be taught in o-ur district schools, 
which, so far as our information extends, seem 
never to have been thought of; things which may 
not only be made extremely interesting and in¬ 
structive to children, but at the same time prove 
of great individual benefit when grown up, and 
they come to act for themselves; and such also as 
would add largely to the'wealth, strength, and re¬ 
sources of the country. Here is one item, for ex¬ 
ample—apples. We find one person in this vicini¬ 
ty growing and shipping these to England, and 
realising $9 per barrel; another selling them in 
this market from $4 to $5 per barrel; while ap¬ 
ples of an inferior kind are not worth over $1 to 
$2, and many are so poor that they could scarcely 
be given away. 
Now a child knows good and poor fruit by its 
taste ; but there are other points about it to which 
it is important to direct attention. Suppose, then, 
any person residing in the school-district who may 
have paid some little attention to this subject, 
should take a few dozen apples, pears, or any 
other fruits of the season of various kinds, good, 
bad, and indifferent, and make his way with them 
to the school-house, call up the children around 
him, and point out their relative value, and the 
true reason why one should be cultivated in prefer¬ 
ence to the other. He would explain that a good 
apple should be of a suitable size; regular, even 
shape; with a small stem; smooth, thin skin; 
rich, juicy, solid pulp; pleasant flavor, either tart 
or sweet; a small core, and few seeds. In short, 
that it should possess as much pleasant nutritious 
substance as possible, combined with the least 
amount of stem, skin, core, and seed. Now this, 
if a good bearer, would be a superior apple-—wor¬ 
thy of a name, and of propagation. Then, by way 
of contrast, the children should be shown a poor 
apple, and their attention be called to that—not 
only by allowing them to judge of the difference 
in taste, but also by pointing out the long, large 
stem; the thick, coarse skin ; the dry, tough, sour 
pulp; the large core, and the small amount of 
really nutritious substance in the fruit. After this 
they might be taught to graft, and be instructed 
upon fruit-trees in general, and the best system of 
their management. Boys from 12 to 15 years old 
may lea’rn all this as easily as grown men, and 
when they come to be grown up and manage their 
own farms, the great majority of them would not 
only have plenty of fruit around them, but that 
also of a first-rate quality, although they might 
expect no foreign market for it. If good fruit were 
universally cultivated throughout the country, this 
alone would be adding to its annual wealth sever¬ 
al millions of dollars. In the same simple manner, 
the children of every rural district could be taught 
to judge of the relative difference in the value of 
vegetables; that a dry, mealy potato is not only 
more agreeable to their own taste, but twice, or 
perhaps thrice as nutritious for their stock-feeding 
as a poor-flavored, watery one may be. How 
few, if asked, can tell the difference in the value 
to animals of sugar-beet and mangel-wurzel, or 
the succulent ruta-baga and the coarse, pithy, 
white tumep. There is as great a difference in 
the nutriment of various kinds of winter-squash 
and pumpkins ; and yet scarce any one thinks or 
speaks of it. The same in the grasses; in wheat, 
rye, barley, oats, and corn; in cotton, and, we are 
not sure, in rice and sugar; the different breeds of 
horses, cattle, sheep, swine, and poultry; the plow, 
and, indeed, all agricultural implements. These 
may be called very homely subjects to be taught a 
child ; but are they not of vast consequence in the 
aggregate to the man and to the country? We 
believe that persons may be found in nearly all 
our school districts, who would be quite capable 
of lecturing intelligently on the subjects herein 
mentioned, and willing to do it gratuitously ; and 
if one hour a day for three months in the year 
could be given to these, the farmers of our country 
would greatly increase their stores of knowledge 
in a few years, understand the reasons of their 
practice better than they now do, and be working 
to much more profit and advantage. 
When the young men had attained a mature 
age, they might form themselves into classes, and 
devote their winter evenings to obtain a knowl¬ 
edge of manures, soils, and the best method of im¬ 
proving them; and the best system of a rotation 
of crops. To this might be added an acquaintance 
with the elementary principles of chemistry, ge¬ 
ology, botany, and mechanics. It really seems to 
us, that all the subjects of education which we 
have here mentioned, are easily attainable by 
every person before arriving at 21 years of age, 
however humble his circumstances, and without 
detriment to the course of studies already pursued 
at the district schools. 
